Shopsmith Forums

Taking this to 3/8 will offer some added clearance between Dado and Fence.

Fabrication of a jig to guide it along the fence would help.

I use a sled on my router for raised panel door rails. Something similar could be done there as well.

It really looks like a strong joint. I will do 3/4 stock for bottoms as well

I will also pin nail it during clamping

Everett

Wow, 3/4" sides and bottom! You will be able to fill those drawers with gold bars - as long as the slides you choose can hold the weight. I used 1/2" sides/front/back with 1/4" bottoms (all Baltic birch plywood) and I would have no problem filling those drawers with lots of heavy stuff. Guess it depends on how big your drawers will be. The ones in my shop are about 15 x 20 and plenty strong enough.

I like the joints, quick, easy, and strong. But I don't see any point to the method unless you want to say you did it 'all' with one setup. In addition to what Al pointed out, the combined use of miter gauge and fence, I saw no point to cutting the rabbets "on end." I wouldn't even try that, it looks neither accurate nor safe. And I can think of many ways to cut them, including with a dado, that are both accurate and safe.

And the calipers. Really? Taking a fairly accurate tool like that and using it inaccurately, is that done for a tool sponsor? I just made two pieces of "notebook paper" shims for comparison on my analog decimal calipers. Measured .005, while 1/64 is closer to .016. Two pieces of fairly thick paper measure .008, One of us is still not close. I'm thinking his measurement error was at least 100%, but probably much more. The fractional display is a convenience for the user, but completely inappropriate for this use. This is not the wrong tool for this, but it is certainly used the wrong way. Its like using the Meg-Ohm scale when I want to measure Ohms and tenths.

- David

mountainbreeze wrote:Wow, 3/4" sides and bottom! You will be able to fill those drawers with gold bars - as long as the slides you choose can hold the weight. I used 1/2" sides/front/back with 1/4" bottoms (all Baltic birch plywood) and I would have no problem filling those drawers with lots of heavy stuff. Guess it depends on how big your drawers will be. The ones in my shop are about 15 x 20 and plenty strong enough.
20200929_140540.jpg

Not gold bars, but heavy.

I’m going to make these drawers for a buddy who is fixing up his dad’s gun cabinet.

He will be storing various ammunition in it.
They are avid Skeet shooters I understand.

DLB wrote:I like the joints, quick, easy, and strong. But I don't see any point to the method unless you want to say you did it 'all' with one setup. In addition to what Al pointed out, the combined use of miter gauge and fence, I saw no point to cutting the rabbets "on end." I wouldn't even try that, it looks neither accurate nor safe. And I can think of many ways to cut them, including with a dado, that are both accurate and safe.

And the calipers. Really? Taking a fairly accurate tool like that and using it inaccurately, is that done for a tool sponsor? I just made two pieces of "notebook paper" shims for comparison on my analog decimal calipers. Measured .005, while 1/64 is closer to .016. Two pieces of fairly thick paper measure .008, One of us is still not close. I'm thinking his measurement error was at least 100%, but probably much more. The fractional display is a convenience for the user, but completely inappropriate for this use. This is not the wrong tool for this, but it is certainly used the wrong way. Its like using the Meg-Ohm scale when I want to measure Ohms and tenths.

- David

My thoughts re the rabbets on end, putting that 1/4" piece against the fence and saw the rabbit with the drawer side/end flat to the table would be less error prone.

DLB wrote:I like the joints, quick, easy, and strong. But I don't see any point to the method unless you want to say you did it 'all' with one setup. In addition to what Al pointed out, the combined use of miter gauge and fence, I saw no point to cutting the rabbets "on end." I wouldn't even try that, it looks neither accurate nor safe. And I can think of many ways to cut them, including with a dado, that are both accurate and safe.

And the calipers. Really? Taking a fairly accurate tool like that and using it inaccurately, is that done for a tool sponsor? I just made two pieces of "notebook paper" shims for comparison on my analog decimal calipers. Measured .005, while 1/64 is closer to .016. Two pieces of fairly thick paper measure .008, One of us is still not close. I'm thinking his measurement error was at least 100%, but probably much more. The fractional display is a convenience for the user, but completely inappropriate for this use. This is not the wrong tool for this, but it is certainly used the wrong way. Its like using the Meg-Ohm scale when I want to measure Ohms and tenths.

- David

I agree on both counts. I’ve used the joint many times, but not yet in a drawer. I attach a sacrificial face to the side of my 520 fence, and use the same dado stack to cut the rabbets face-down on the table. A simple 1/4” setup block makes repositioning the fence a breeze.

As a matter of fact, I was doing some quick-and dirty casework last weekend, and decided to give pocket screws another try, mostly just because a lot of people like them. I regretted not using the rabbet and dado joint as soon as I began to assemble it. Not only did I have to individually drill a couple dozen pocket holes, but aligning the components for assembly was a real pain. I wound up testing to see just how much the screws were going to side-shift the pieces when tightened, then applying glue and pin-nailing them with enough offset to compensate for the side-shift, and then still needing to clamping them tight before driving the pocket screws in order to get a consistent side-shift. The alignment came out pretty close, but I’ll still want to trim a couple of edges flush, just because I’m a perfectionist. And the process required to get decent alignment was a pain in the keister.

If I’d used rabbet and dado joints, the entire assembly would have been self-jigging, and assembly alignment would have been exactly as precise as my machine setup.

That said, I still think that pocket screws are a great solution if you only have basic tools to work with. Some sort of saw, a drill, and an inexpensive pocket-hole jig is enough to build a lot of reasonably sturdy stuff.

everettdavis wrote:Has anyone used Shopsmith Dado to build drawers this way?

Everett

https://youtu.be/_Z3pMyNPfi0

My question is; how many levels does one person really need? Did you see all of them hanging behind when he as at the table saw? I'd ask him directly, but he has the option to leave comments turned off on the video.

Chad wrote:

everettdavis wrote:Has anyone used Shopsmith Dado to build drawers this way?

Everett

https://youtu.be/_Z3pMyNPfi0

My question is; how many levels does one person really need? Did you see all of them hanging behind when he as at the table saw? I'd ask him directly, but he has the option to leave comments turned off on the video.

Maybe the answer relates to "the right tool for the job at hand".

By my count there are eight levels hanging on the wall. At least five of them are different lengths. The others are hidden such that the comparative lengths cannot be determined because you do not see both ends.

My burning question is "What are the long ones used for?" "Is a longer level more accurate than a short level"?

dusty wrote:My burning question is "What are the long ones used for?" "Is a longer level more accurate than a short level"?

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xzIOfu6RvI[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8Wiic46ISA[/youtube]

Thanks, I needed that. Now I know. Since I no longer build walls my 6' level will meet all my needs.